Digital Fatigue, Workforce Readiness, and Medication Safety: A Systems Perspective for Pharmacy Education

The increasing integration of digital technologies into pharmacy education has transformed how students learn, communicate, and develop professional competencies. However, prolonged engagement with digital platforms may contribute to digital fatigue, technostress, cognitive overload, sleep disruption, and reduced well-being. Although digital fatigue has primarily been considered a learner wellness concern, its potential implications may extend to workforce readiness and medication safety. Cognitive functions affected by fatigue and information overload, including attention, vigilance, working memory, information synthesis, and clinical judgment, are also essential for safe medication use and effective pharmacy practice. This commentary applies a systems and human factors perspective to examine digital fatigue as an emerging consideration in pharmacy education and workforce development. Using principles aligned with the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework, we highlight potential pathways through which digitally intensive learning environments may influence cognitive performance and preparedness for technology-enabled pharmacy practice. Systems-based strategies are proposed, including intentional digital curriculum design, digital well-being and resilience training, human-centered technology design, sleep and fatigue prevention, and simulation focused on cognitive load management. As pharmacy education continues to evolve alongside technological innovation, greater attention to digital well-being may help prepare pharmacists to practice safely, effectively, and sustainably within increasingly technology-intensive healthcare environments.